Is there a better way?

I have been a busy bee. My WEB my plane all got some TLC.
The past couple of weeks I have been revamping my WEB site, because it was not working. There are some problem still hidden, but this will have to wait till I find them. The plane is under going structural and control changes. This is the third time I made changes to the structure of this prototype. I feared the worst when I begun to prepare for flight. The controls where not working with accuracy, there was too much flex in the control rods. This needed to be fixed before I fly. There is too much invested in the model to simply ignore the possibility to bad design in control surfaces. So… redesign and improve. My feelings are conflicting with my knowledge on the subject. Being a self taught designer/inventor this does cause for dowt, but the internet is my salvation in finding the solution. The problem is, there is little in the specifics of my design. Back in the time, trial and error will cover the questions and answers.
I took time off from work to address these issues, but the weather was not planed, and is contributing to my fear of not achieving my goals. Part of the problem was the control surfaces needed to be redesigned to ensure safe flight. Now I’m left with 4 day to complete and test, prevailing the weather permits. This weather is the deterrent of the project making it hard for the dream to prosper. Is there a better way?

Counting my blessings

A reflection in time
Time is passing by, like a freight train going to its determined destination.
Little can slow it down, there is no derailing it.
Looking back the trail is clear, and done.
Many encounters have new discoveries to comprehend
Time does not wait for decisions, but accompanies them to the end.
The trail is long.
Patients will endeavor to conclude a passage.
With each passing moment, a new accomplishment is realized.
The challenge was met and forged on.
The progression proceeds to a new experience, and wisdom matures to the next level.
Is the present existence final or will it reveal a new birth?

Happiness is what you make of it, but what do you do when anger surrounds you?

Love, and be loved, but what do you do when hate surrounds you?

Slow down and smell the roses, but what do you do when they keep pushing you?

The answer is move away from all that keep pushing hate and anger.


Time does not stop

I have been dreaming of the fight to freedom from my window sill, staring at the model plane, swaying about from the gentle breeze coming though the opened window. Wondering what it would be like to pilot though the sky and exploring new ventures.
With each day passing me by, a small piece is yearning to convert the dream into reality, as my soul existence is not complete until this is done. For each day, with no contributions the dream is converted to depression. I learned, life is not consistent, new twist or challenges occurs and need to be met. Not all are met but set aside, because, I am only human with feeling changing with each climate. The climate I fear most is hate and anger, so much is invested around, and affecting the good energy needed to promote a positive climate for the dream to blossom.


Counting my blessings

I have good health
Family and friend who love me
A roof over my head and warm bed
Food and drink
A job I like that pays the bills
A wealth of knowledge in understanding my surroundings

Working on the positive

Just a thought!

Last week I rebuilt the WAV static model to improve the wing and tail configuration. In the process I decided to build a plug to assist in building the “DUCT-VANE” a concept I have been working on for some time. This proved to be beneficial in building the Duct-Vane. I was able to reinforce the trailing edge; thereby ridding the inner ring, this will improve the trust flow. Now the control surfaces need detailing. The concept is there, but the mechanics need to operate smoothly.



This week I started building the flying test model, with a 29” wingspan. The choice of material is hard for me, because, I would like it to be resilient to hard landing for the test flights, and yet ultra light as possible. The earlier version of the DUCTLING’s are made from foam. The most successful was the VeeBee at 22oz. with hardware, it sustained damage well. Now I’m looking at a composite process, a mixture of foam, wood, and papier-mâché. The weight factor is questionable, and do is the resilience to sustain damage. I’m hoping it will maintain a glide this time, if so; the hard landings won’t be a factor. The goal is able to glide and sustain that, and to fly it self.
To do is to find out…. Trial by error…. Spoken like a true explorer.
One step at a time… I need to build it, and make it fly. I am getting closer I know…

Just a thought!
I finally went to the se the movie Stealth. The FA-37 Talon was an eye catching spectacle. The possibilities sparked my inspirations to investigate this craft. One blog touched on the subject nicely. In Dean’s Weblog, he point out the concept it’s origins and similarities to the X-29. Based on the Northrop Grumman Switchblade the FA-37 Talon was fabricated.
The Switchblade has something I would like to borrow from. The WAV may have a bigger brother. Some time back I dreamed of a flying camper, called the LOON.
Have you watched TV series called “Connection”? It was a clever display of how one invention influenced another or how one could not have come to exist without the other. The connection that came to be the innovative machine of today, like the computer. Did you know it started with the loom? A textile machine for weaving yarn into a textile. Wat is the connection?
Back to the Loon….
The thought was there but not clear, and now the birth of a new inspiration may grow into something tangible. Thank you stealth….

Some things are meant to be…

The dream goes on… BetterFly…. ~v~

A new perspective

Summer is over officially.
Back to work in the dungeon.
Some ideas have been flying around and I made some changes. The latest addition to the Ductlings, the WAV (winged “A” frame vehicle). Why this?... You may ask…. Well, after reviewing all my designs I came to a conclusion I kept a wedge like frame in all the planes that lead to the Ductlings.
An “A” frame structure is simple and strong. I built several 1/40th scale models to work out the desired conclusion.
In this process I discover what may have prevented a steady glide path in my test flights.

The VeeBee has two type of airfoils built in.

• The body (lifting body)
• The winglets

The thicker line represents the outer sides of the WAV body where the duct-vane is located. You can get a better view at my site.

In this diagram represent the correction used with the WAV. The new corrected version, will compensate for the different foils. The main (center) foil trailing edge is complimentary to that of the winglets.

At different speeds the foils react differently. With the VeeBee the two body foils share the same trailing edge, and created a different angle of attack with the winglets, this contributed to an unstable glide path.

So goes the theory.

Well I need to test this. I will keep you posted.

Later…. BetterFly ~V~

Times Chage

Don’t you feel, there are times, things are going too slow? Well…. This is one of those for me. Last time my interpretation of controlled flight was not successful and cause for concern. Will this ever take off the ground?..... It took me several days to gain courage to re-examine the problem. I started with a scaled down version to determine a proper body to wing configuration. It turn out that the body profile trailing edge was to low in relationship to the wings. The new profile proves to be stable with this scaled down version. I am able to launch a steady glide path. The light at the end of the tunnel is beginning to spark up. I am also working on a frame structure using bamboo B.Q. skews with a glue gun assembly method. This is a good process to determine structural integrity. This keeps me busy, toward the goals of succeeding, in keeping an optimistic perspective. The flight must go on….

I am still avoiding the test flight of the last VeeBee modification. I am having trouble identifying with the reluctance. May be I’m getting lazy, things are not convenient enough. This is not inspiring…...
Speaking of inspiration… I received an eMail asking, if the Ductling could be built with foam, this was inspiring... A newbie in the hobby, he mentioned how he enjoyed my site and how well of a job I did with my presentation. Well…. I decided I will be working on a new splinter site dedicated to the Ductlings some time soon. First,….I want to enjoy my summer,…. of course…

Until next time….. Betterfly……~v~

New wings

Today I went to my chosen test grounds. On the way there my brother was working on his present project, so I visited him. We went to the park together, since it was lunch time. Some people where there walking their dogs. I had to wait for them to get out of the way. While waiting my brother and I talked about thing. I guess I could have picked a better time other than noon a busy time for public parks. Well it was not so bad, I manage to get four launches.
The first launch I thought I may put some left aileron and see if there would be some response. Sure enough it worked a bit too well. It veered into the ground and survived the fall. The flight seemed to be low once more. I made another attempt, this time the flight was better but short, not gaining altitude like it should. I decided the next flight I would introduce up elevator. The flight went straight but little up was acquired. It seemed as when the speed dropped so did the plane. Some damage occurred, the aileron control horns detached. It is time to stop. When I got home I began the repair, and reviewed in my mind what had happened. I forgot trough the excitement the weight shift done by the battery placement.

I need to take note,
• The 5 paces for the bungee is working fine.
• The enlarged ailerons with a 3 degree up on each on the new wing configuration are doing the job, but a bit sensitive.
• The CG needs to be established and this was ignored.

Today, I invited Cathy and Anthony to see “Batman the beginning”. The show was well done a good story well executed the effect where also equally well executed. I am looking forward to seeing a sequel. At the previews an upcoming show “Stealth” about fighter planes, my kind of show, displayed preview of the battles. The planes caught my imagination. They looked something familiar to a stealth design done some time ago, but these had a canard configuration that might fit for the Ductling. I will incorporate this in one of my designs next. Wait and see.

Trying something different

Last Monday I made the attempt once more.

The changes made to the model seemed to have promising results. The ailerons are made from balsa and the leading and trailing edge where from bamboo. The controls operated smoothly. The total weight was slightly heavier 22oz. with a ten cell battery pack.

This exercise was to determine launch procedures. I decided to begin by measuring the distance of stretching the bungee cord by 3 yards. My first launch took a beating. The launch was not enough of a pull. The left wing took some damage. The attempt of stiffening the wings was good enough because I also carved holes on the wings in the attempt to lighten them. This proved to weekend the wings also.

As in the past I decided not to stop there and made some repairs to continue my endeavors. I increased the distance to 5 yards. The sub sequential launch went better, but did not hold altitude long enough. The next I decided to add some up on the controls to see it would gain altitude. The attempt seem to be working, however the damaged wing had some influence in veering to the left where it collide with a tree near by. I tried once more, this time the plane went up and begun to turn into the damage wing’s direction once more. I tried to correct this, but the flight momentum decreased and the plane started to drop, not a glide, this gave me the impression that there was no stability or it was stalling. A design flaw….

I spent the last week rebuilding the wings, this time with a 5 degree forward sweep. Like the original concept from the SEAHAWK. Except the Seahawk had a grater angle of attack and it is a Canard design. This is still a possible retreat if these modifications do not work.

Well this weekend I will make another attempt.

Determination

This morning I had planned to launch the rebuilt VeeBee. For the last two weeks new improved structural details where made. The wing tips where weak, because the foam was too thin, so a leading and trailing edge made of bamboo where added. Both the strength and stiffness needed at the tips was achieved. Also wing spars where added to improve the connection to the main body and correcting the angle of attack for the wing. I hope the improvement is going to do what it needed.

All in all, my attempt to get myself to the test field was not successful this morning. I did not feel motivated. Maybe, the feeling is, that all the work done is in vein. IÂ’m feeling a little depressed. Some days the energy is there and others, no quiet right. Maybe it has to do with the heat. It is hot today, and so was last night. I did not have a good rest.

I decided, tomorrow early in the morning I will make the next attempt in obtaining a controlled flight. Tomorrow I have taken the day off from work. And so Ishalll put it to good use.

Surviving my fall

The launch did not go as planed. It turns out that the design is working but the material used is not. The wing need to be stiffer and yet resilient to damage. Being a test model I have achieved flight but the flights where to short to register a controlled flight. All but one. After several launches and ajustment to the CG (center gravity) by shifting the battery weight I identified what I think it to be the CG. This particular launch the plane flew straight and was demonstrating a need to drop... So full up on the elevators and the control seemed to adjust the altitude before touching ground. This was my first sign or controlled flight. After patching and field repair where made I would make an other attempt to fly the plane. This design is presenting some difficulties in identifying the problems due to the unusual configuration of the tail and body. I am certain this will fly once I rebuild the wings by using more rigid materials to prevent bending the wing tips. The ailerons need to be made of a more rigid material other than DEPRON. I'm thinking of balsa as the replacement, Maybe .... If I insert a solid leading edge to the wings this may correct the bending problem on the wing tips.

VeeBee maiden launch

Today a dream has a hiccup. I got up at 6:30 am and gathered all necessary items for the maiden launch. I found a near by a park with a long and gradual decent. In the winter it is used for tobogganing. I though this would be a good place to launce the plane. (VeeBee)